Why this Colorado coal town is digging geothermal

Bedrock will complete the project, providing 2 megawatts of thermal energy, in phases, with roughly half the district done in 2026 and the whole job finished by 2028. Along the way, constructed buildings will be able to connect with portions of the district as they’re ready.

“We see it as a long-term bet,” Mathew Mendisco, city manager of Hayden, later told me, describing the town as full of grit and good people. Geothermal energy ​“is literally so sustainable — like, you could generate those megawatts forever. You’re never going to have to be reliant on the delivery of coal or natural gas. … You drill it on-site, the heat comes out.”

Geothermal is also the rare renewable resource that the Trump administration has embraced. In July, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, whose firm invested in geothermal developer Fervo Energy, helped convince Congress to spare key federal investment tax credits for the sector.

These incentives apply to both the deep projects for producing power as well as the more accessible, shallower installations for keeping buildings comfy. Unlike geothermal projects for power, ones for direct heating and cooling don’t depend on geography; any town can take advantage of the resource.